SplatterDash's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lordant - The Lost Tale]

This is an NGADM 2023 judge review.

The strong element of your piece is definitely within your keyboards. The piano and music box-esque instrument truly help in carrying the piece. The other instruments aren't half bad either, and they help in setting that tone you wanted to go for.
That said, I think the mixing could be a bit better. I think the ambient night noises you use are a little too loud from the moment they enter at the very beginning, and overall the strings could come up a little more, especially on the higher end of the strings. One thing I also notice is that this has some weaker transitions between sections, which means the listener is jostled from one section to the next a little too roughly, so it's something to look at with your future songs. Finally, I'm really impartial to how this ends: the sudden stopping of everything I think hinders the atmosphere you created, and it doesn't feel like it fits too well. If you want to stop suddenly, that's fine, but I think you need to build up to that and support it better from a compositional point of view.
Overall, I think this is interesting and a pretty good song! I enjoyed it enough and I think there's definitely strong points in your melodies, which can help a lot later down the line!

Lordant responds:

Thanks for feedback! I definitely get your points, especially the ones about structuring, and will try to fix them after the ADM.

[Shortcuts]

This is an NGADM 2023 judge review.

I think your strong point in this is the variety in your compositional structure. I can tell that there's things that are changing, but in some cases also building off of what was already done in the song. While there isn't massive changes from a larger structure perspective, which I feel doesn't always have to be achieved in every song, the little changes help keep it moving enough. I also feel that your overall sound design choices match the general tone you were going for, and with the way you combined styles, it definitely feels original.
With this song, however, I think I'm noticing a bit of a general mixing problem. Simply put, I think your bass is a little too forward and your highs are a little too much on the back burner. The other elements of your overall mixing aren't half bad, but those were the two general problems I noticed. In addition, I think you have a good idea with the goal of repetition, but I feel you can push how fresh each repetition is a little more. My suggestion is to vary up the accompaniment a little differently or try tweaking different elements like the key. Experiment a bit with the melodies and accompaniments, and see how you can strike a little better of a balance between both of those points.
Overall, I like it! I think you achieved both of your goals well, and I applaud you for being able to do things outside of your comfort zone as well as you did. With a few tweaks, I think you'd be able to get an even better fine tune if you decide to follow with this style or others down the line!

[Somewhere I'll Find You]

This is an NGADM 2023 judge review.

What really strikes me at first is that hemiola you use in the main guitars, since it sets up a pretty unique intro in the way you execute that rhythm. I also like how you utilize instruments that are unconventional in the sense that you don't usually hear them together - for example, that saxophone in the beginning minute. I can also hear how some of the sound design choices you make plays into the idea you have with the story in the song. From what I also notice, I like how the kick is good and punchy and the mix is overall relatively balanced.
My main things about this song particularly involves the larger structure. While the melodies are very fluid overall, the larger structure of the accompaniment to those melodies feel a little too repetitive with the exception of 3:30, and I feel those could change themselves up a bit more. I especially think the changes you do in the accompaniment could help showcase your idea as well. There were also a few sections that I felt ended a little too abruptly when going into a new section, and I think some of those could use something to end off that portion and transition into the next portion, even if it's something small.
Overall, I really like this! It feels good and I think your choices reflect the idea you have, and you do take some interesting risks that I think work well enough.

BeyondOurEyes responds:

Greatly appreciate your review and feedback! Glad you enjoyed the song overall.

I generally like the abrupt shifts between sections so long as the melodic content flows, for this type of music specifically I think it adds impact to the start of the next section - though I did use that a lot here haha, so I will keep that in mind for future and try to balance those out with some other smoother transitions as well!

I have some more song ideas in mind that are a little more varied, so i'll be sure to implement more variation on the next submission!

[The Moon Song]

This is a (overdue) judge review from NGADM Round 3.

Man, there's a lot of good piano players here on Newgrounds lol. The way you play here is really interesting because of the things you do here. The composition, of course, keeps itself fresh throughout and even allows room to breathe every so often. When the accents come in, you can feel it. There's also a healthy amount of phrasing throughout this, too, which I do appreciate and enjoy.
The one thing I do wanna ask about is my elephant in the room - the quality of sound from the piano. I can definitely tell its a stylistic choice, but my question is what inspired it. I don't really hate it at all, but I think that it's too muffled to get the idea across of it being a somber song. Again, though, that's just my thoughts on it.
Overall, it's pretty good! It's a piano improv/live piano piece, but in a definite good way.

satanicpotatoe responds:

Thanks SplatterDash, for the sound I wanted to create a nostalgic retro vibe ;)

[spark of hope.]

This is a (overdue) judge review from NGADM Round 3.

So the things that you have for ideas in this piece really are good. The melodies are there and the piece definitely does evolve and build upon itself, and it keeps changing a bit more than in other works you have done, which is a good thing to do. I can also hear the Touhou inspiration that you mentioned having here, and I think you do a good job putting it in your style.
My main criticism here is with production and sound design. Your bass is really loud here, and I think that it's too loud to the point where it overpowers the other elements a bit, especially at 0:31. It's a rare instance, but something you need to watch for in your mastering. I also am on the fence about how that bass sounds, primarily because I think there's too much treble in it. There are other sounds that I think fit okay but not much otherwise, like the violin at 1:01, that also make me wonder about the sound design.
Overall, not bad! I think there's definitely improvements that can be made, but with your style I think you have a good grip on how to make things that inspire you into your own words.

[Rite of the Woods - NGADM ROUND 3 (2021)]

This is a (overdue) judge review from NGADM Round 3.

This piece's strong point, at least in my eyes, is its composition. It keeps itself on its toes throughout and consistently changes to keep everything fresh, and yet it still builds upon a common theme without overdoing it. The key changes and consistent changes from major to minor throughout, the different themes and the ways you play on them... like I said, this is the song's strong point by far. The rest also isn't bad, either - the sounds you use are really good and help push the emotion throughout, and the production, at least through my headphones, isn't too bad at all.
If I had to really nitpick on something, I'd say a couple of things. First, I definitely think that first theme could be played upon, and I know you mentioned that as well. Maybe even an interaction between the first and second themes could be interesting and enjoyable to the listener. Alongside that, I think the piece could use a proper ending. What you have is serviceable, but an ending that helps wind down the energy or signal the closing instead of leaving the listener in a sort of cliffhanger would not only help to build on the story you're telling, but also keep the emotion and ideas going too.
Overall, though, I absolutely adore this piece and I think it's one of my favorites from this year's ADM. There's so much going well here that it's very much worth a listen.

[Soul Of The Skinless Saviour]

This is a (overdue) judge review from the NGADM Round 3.

I think this is an always for your songs, but the sound design here is incredible. It plays so well into the mood you're going for and sounds phenomenal. The production is also top-notch and helps amplify this piece, especially when going into sections like 0:53. The song just packs a punch in all the good ways when it comes to emotion, and it helps to make this stand out compared to quite a few other songs.
I think my only complaint here is that I got a bit worried about your composition variety. There's definitely drastic changes from part to part, but sometimes I felt they dragged on a bit too long compared to the song's run time. There are changes within each part that do help it, but it just felt overall that there could have been maybe one or two more different parts to help offset the general feeling of similarity throughout the song.
That, however, doesn't detract from how good the song is. It's an absolutely great song and it does so much so right.

[[NGADM Round 2] Re-Programmed... As a Jammer]

This is a (really late, but still deserved) judge review from the NGADM Round 2.

I think that this song definitely does what it can to keep itself afloat. While there aren't too many different sections, there's still some good variety within those sections. I especially like the transition at 0:21, while quick, because of the simple way it goes into the meat and bones of the song. The different chords you also introduce, especially at 1:51, sounds really good in the song too.
I guess my main complaint here is that while the composition is definitely serviceable, I would like to see at least a little more variety in each section. There's some changes to make it sound unique, but it still sounds like a repeated process in many sections, and this is especially true with the drums. If you can, find ways to create different patterns in each instrument and help them stay unique to the listener's ears.
Overall, not a bad song! It can use some work, but it has some good ideas and works pretty well for what it sets out to do.

[nightmare in dream land]

This is a (really late, but still deserved) judge review from the NGADM Round 2.

Honestly, looking at the description I think you're not giving enough credit to this song. Sure, there are definitely some weak elements here and there, but this style of song reminds me of the older 1f1n1ty style mixed with Snail House, in a good way. I definitely think you manage to keep the song fresh here, and the tempo changes are definitely well needed to keep this from being something monotonous. I also like the 8-bit style of music you're going for here, and it helps to bring an energy to this song.
My critiques come in the form of sound design here. While many of the sounds are serviceable, I do agree with you in that many of them don't mix, especially the drums at 0:39. Still though, I think some of the lead sounds could have been tampered with a bit more to give a little less high end and more of a rounder sound to them. I also kinda think you could have more supporting instruments like chords or something underneath the melodies at parts like 0:39 and 1:48, or at least gave more of a presence to them. It'll definitely help bring out the added energy in those parts.
Overall, not too bad at all! There are some problems, yes, but I think this is a stronger entry from this round.

[The Chosen One]

This is a (really late, but still deserved) judge review from the NGADM Round 2.

The composition on here is really good! A lot of it felt really fresh and didn't linger on any particular part for too long. The sound choices you made here were pretty good, especially with the synth-like sounds you brought in for your chords and leads. The beginning section until 0:42 was also a really good feel-y section that introduced the song relatively well, too. Nothing felt really weak on the production side of things, and the song as a whole felt pretty solid.
My only main complaint that I had is that I think the song could've been built up a bit more. I think it would've been pretty cool for that intro section to be brought up again later on and built up further from there to help it expand and also provide a bit of a cooldown for the next big moment in the song or the return to form. But that's just my thoughts, of course.
Overall, really solid song! It's pretty good and definitely deserves love from this round.

ZaneLittle responds:

I appreciate you! I think that is very helpful feedback~ The NGADM is always such a blast!